Tony Blais, Edmonton Sun

An Edmonton bookkeeper who confessed to stealing $126,000 from his employer to fuel his online sports gambling addiction was sent to jail on Friday.

Amandeep Aujla, 31, was handed a six-month sentence, to be followed by two years probation, after earlier pleading guilty in Provincial Court to one count of theft over $5,000.

Court heard Aujla was the bookkeeper for Raydon Rentals, a local company that rents out heavy equipment, and he falsified records in order to get 69 refunds paid to his own benefit between January 2012 and March 2013.

Judge Kirk MacDonald ruled it was aggravating that Aujla breached a position of trust, he stole a large amount of money and the operation was somewhat sophisticated, although he agreed with defence lawyer Ed O’Neill that “this is not Bernie Madoff, by any means.”

However, MacDonald gave a lower than usual sentence for an employee theft because of two “unusual” and “extraordinary” mitigating factors.